Canton China stopover

We had an interesting time during our night stopover in Canton China.  The airport was about an hours drive from our hotel so it was a bit of a sightseeing experience on the way.  We were quite surprised how nice and green everything was.   All along the highway there were trees, shrubs and well kept gardens which helped to camouflage the concrete structures to a certain degree.

We had a list of things that we hoped to buy at "bargain" prices so most of our time was spent in the "electronics" district.  What an eye opener that was!  Shopping centres and malls full of the latest and greatest gadgets and the buyers are the young generation with lots of money to spend.  We did have a 'few' problems being understood but eventually managed to get what we wanted.  Jim even took to drawing pictures which caused a bit of a giggle.  They say if you want to be understood ask a "teenager" as English is being taught in the schools, but it is still hard going. 

As our hotel was located in the business district and upmarket residential area we were some distance away from the shopping areas.  We caught taxis everywhere and they were really cheap ranging between $2-3.

AC'12 Trucks in the Convoy

This is a sample of some of the vehicles in the convoy

Final Route Map and Schedule

This is the final route map and schedule which will make it easier for you to follow us on the trek

George's welcome to Vancouver

George has now arrived in Vancouver and is finally on Canadian soil patiently awaiting our arrival.  We had arranged for him to be shipped early in case there were any delays with shipping but all went smoothly and he arrived on the due date. There were a few hassles getting Customs clearance because Jim was not able to be there in person but with the assistance of Joy and Louis Anthony in Vancouver he was cleared through Customs.  This also saved us from paying expensive demurrage and storage costs which would have dented the budget.  George was then transported to Maj Ian Newby's property where Ian and his staff unloaded him from the container, removed the shipping wheels and fitted the road wheels.  George is now ready to roll.  We are very grateful to Joy, Louis, Ian and staff for all their help and look forward to thanking them in person.

We fly out on Friday and have a 3 night stopover in Canton China on the way to Vancouver.  We are now getting very excited, and apprehensive, and look forward to meeting our fellow trekkers and their "treasures".  Some of the trekkers are travelling many kilometres just to get to the starting point at Dawson Creek Canada BC.  There is also a GMC truck and trailer being shipped from Belgium and that is due to arrive today.

The attached photo of George is showing his welcome to Vancouver by Joy and Louis

Promoting the AC'12 Trek

The following poster is being circulated by the organisers and participants to promote the AC'12 convoy

Van packed into shipping container

Today Jim, his mate Bob and staff at Goldstar Transport packed "George" into the container ready for its trip across the seas to Vancouver Canada.  Shipping wheels were needed as the van was too high to fit into the container.  Fortunately there was a forklift at the transport depot and the driver was more than happy to help out and lift the van while the wheels were fitted.  Jim did his usual trick of exiting the van by climbing out through the front window - it was a bit of a tight squeeze but it all worked out OK.  The ship leaves Fremantle Western Australia on 26 May and arrives in Vancouver Canada on 26 June.  All going to plan it will have arrived and gone through Customs clearance etc before we get there in mid July. We have been fortunate that a member of the Western Command Military Vehicle Historical Society in Vancouver has offered to receive our vehicle for us and the vehicle will be delivered to his property which is about 50kms out of town.  Once we arrive in Vancouver we will finalise the vehicle insurance and then collect the van.   Only 7 weeks until we fly out and the time is now racing by.

Our travelling friends

Since the last post our friend Mervyn had a heart attack and underwent open heart surgery so the Piggotts will no longer be going on this trek with us. They are very disappointed but have more important issues to deal with at the moment. Merv is progressing well and hopes to be allowed home this week.